Top entry, trunnion-type ball valve
AssigneeNewport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company
InventorEdward J. Holec
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A top entry, trunnion-type ball valve has identical, but oppositely arranged sealing assemblies on both sides of the ball. These sealing assemblies include a seal carriage that holds and maintains in position an annular body seal, an annular ball seal and a resilient O-ring interposed therebetween. The O-ring is located in a cavity between the body seal and ball seal which is open to fluid in the valve through-passage and therefore subject to high pressure in the line. Pressure in the O-ring cavity forces the ball and body seals apart and causes the O-ring to compress and resiliently urge the ball and body seals into sealing engagement with the ball and body, respectively. Angled surfaces formed on the seals enhance sealing by concentrating contact pressures.
Claims21
A trunnion-type ball valve assembly for use with high pressure fluids in a fluid passageway, comprising
- a trunnion-type ball,
- a valve body for rotatably receiving said ball,
- a sealing assembly being positioned between said ball and said body,
- a seal carriage surrounding said sealing assembly for retaining said sealing assembly in position,
- said sealing assembly including a body seal and a ball seal each surrounding said passageway,
- said body seal having a first body seal surface for sealing engagement with said body, a second body seal surface facing oppositely to said first body seal surface and a third body seal surface facing said passageway,
- said ball seal having a first ball seal surface for sealing engagement with said ball, a second ball seal surface confronting said second body seal surface and forming a first cavity in fluid communication with said passageway and a third ball seal surface facing said passageway,
- a resilient O-ring positioned within said cavity for both sealing engagement with said seal carriage and for resiliently urging said ball seal and said body seal into sealing engagement with said body and said ball respectively upon a pressure from fluid in said fluid passageway.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.